


Turn a Blind Eye

by minnies_musings



Category: Do No Harm (TV), In the Heights
Genre: Alternate Ending, Continuation, Crossover, FIx It, Minor Violence, Other, People are actually noticing Ruben's in trouble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-11-02 01:38:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10934298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minnies_musings/pseuds/minnies_musings
Summary: After managing to escape Ian in a Jamaican airport, Ruben’s been on the run ever since. He knew returning to America had its risks, but he never could have imagined the benefits that came with those dangers. And when Ian reappears in his life, Ruben finds himself surrounded by people who are actually willing to help, rather than turn a blind eye.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thisstableground](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisstableground/gifts).



She’d been watching the two men the entire flight, unable to help herself. She was surprised none of the other attendants had noticed, to be perfectly honest. The smaller man looked on the verge of tears, visibly trembling when she walked past. She’d tried speaking to him, but the man sitting next to him had spoken over him. The man seemed charming enough but there was something she felt was just…off about their whole dynamic.

“Hey, Steph…you see those guys over there?” She hummed, catching the arm of one of her fellow attendants and pointing over to the two.

“The guy who looks like he’s about to piss himself and the blondie sitting next to him? Yeah…why?”

“Something seems weird about them.”

“Oh come on, I think you’re overthinking it. I’m sure the little one’s just scared of flying. Relax.” And with that she was alone again, standing at the front of the plane with a small frown. She watched the two men for several more moments, tilting her head as the blond man leaned in close to the other, who then appeared to lose all of his colour and looked on the verge of passing out. No, she certainly didn’t believe she was overthinking anything.

***

Ruben sat stone still as the plane slowly came to a halt, very aware of Ian’s painful grip on his arm. The man’s words continued to run through his head. _Play nice and I’ll make this easy for you, Rubes._ He shuddered gently, jumping in surprise as Ian yanked him up.

 _This is it…_ he thought, and he was surprised by how calm he felt. Sure his hands were still shaking and he wanted nothing more than to fight and scream and get away but he couldn’t bring himself to even speak at the moment. He followed blindly after Ian, locking eyes with a flight attendant as they disembarked. The woman shot him a sympathetic smile and mouthed something, but he didn’t catch exactly what it was.

They entered the airport, Ian leading the way straight towards security.

“Ian…my bag, I need m-my bag.”

“Not where you’re going you don’t.” Ian hummed, shooting Ruben a smile that was far too sweet to go with the words he’d just spoken. It was taking everything Ruben was capable of to not break down in tears, though he wasn’t sure how much begging he had left in him. Almost the entire flight down had been spent quietly pleading for his life, trying everything to convince Ian that he didn’t have to worry about him. And if it hadn’t worked on the plane, why should it work now?

They continued through the airport, Ian’s grip on his arm never weakening as they weaved through the crowds of tourists milling about, either waiting for their flights home or just arriving themselves. Their laughter and warm expressions were lost on Ruben, who was completely focused on the fact that he was going to _die._ He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize they’d stopped walking, Ian standing in front of him with a scowl.

When he finally did notice they’d stopped, he glanced up and looked around with a small frown. There were several security agents weaving through the crowds as well, clearly searching for something.

“Change of plans, Rubes. We’re going to get some grub first. Whatever you want…last meal and all.” Ian said, his voice low and dripping with a sickly sweetness that made Ruben want to vomit. He looked around slowly before starting forward, only to be yanked back. He let out a surprised squawk and stared up at Ian with wide eyes, once again trembling and trying to contain himself.

“ _Not_ towards the people with guns, Rubes.” He muttered, stooping slightly to whisper in Ruben’s ear. He shuddered and clenched his eyes closed, forcing a deep breath before nodding slowly. Ian smiled faintly and straightened up, his grip tightening on Ruben’s arm as he noticed a few of the officer’s watching them closely. They two whispered to one another before one started their way, smiling warmly as they approached.

“Evening, gentlemen. Welcome to Jamaica.” She said, casually glancing between the two. Ian immediately released his hold on Ruben’s arm, who quickly shrunk away and looked between the two uncertainly. Why was a security officer talking to them? They hadn’t done anything wrong. Well…anything wrong that anyone here would have seen. Ruben glanced up, caught off guard by Ian’s overly confident smile.

“Good evening officer, is everything alright?” He asked, tucking his hands into his pockets and tilting his head. Ruben resisted the urge shout that ‘ _no, everything is not alright officer, this man is going to kill me’_ but instead he kept quiet, wrapping his arms around himself and trying to hide his panicked trembling. The officer noticed this however and turned from Ian, completely ignoring his question.

“Sir? Are you alright?” She asked, voice low and friendly. Ruben blinked and stared up at her, tilting his head and looking for all the world like a deer caught in the headlights. Someone was noticing him. Someone was actually asking him if he was alright. Then he realized he hadn’t actually said anything and forced himself to nod slowly, feeling the corners of his mouth curl up in a weak attempt at a smile.

“Yes, I…I’m alright.” He assured, though he knew the officer didn’t believe him. Her brow furrowed and she took a slight step back, regarding the two for a moment with a critical eye.

“I think you should both come with us.” She said finally, and Ruben could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. He glanced up to Ian quickly, searching for any sign that the man was going to snap. But he seemed calm enough, wearing a mask of innocence as he looked to the officer.

“Come with you?” He repeated, raising an eyebrow and cocking his head. _Damn those puppy eyes_ , Ruben thought, wrinkling his nose and sighing heavily.

“Yes, please. Your friend doesn’t seem well, and it was noticed on the flight as well. We just want to make sure he’s alright.” The woman said evenly, offering a reassuring smile. Ian frowned slightly and once again gripped Ruben’s arm, digging his nails into the skin there.

“Could you excuse us a moment?” He asked through grit teeth, turning and dragging Ruben out of earshot without waiting for an answer.

“You want to stop drawing attention to us?” He snarled, whirling Ruben around and getting in his face. Ruben staggered and whined faintly, trying to pull away before falling still again.

“I’ll stop doing that when you stop threatening my life.” He muttered, hissing as Ian’s hands went to his shoulders, his grip painfully tight.

“Shut up, you slimy little _shit_.” He growled. “I should have just killed you in Philly. Would have saved me a lot of money and trouble.” Ruben felt a lump forming in his throat and glanced about helplessly, searching frantically for a way out before Ian gave him a harsh shake and drew his attention back to those eyes that he could never say no to.

“Focus, Rubes. I’m not leaving this airport without you, so pull yourself together and stop blubbering like a moron.”

“Is everything alright over here?” The officer. Ruben glanced up and frantically shook his head, all caution thrown to the wind. People were actually paying attention. He didn’t want to play along anymore.

“No, no it’s not.”

“Ruben.”

“Officer, please I’m here against my will. Well, not really I-”

“ _Ruben_.”

“He wants to kill me!” He blurted this out a little louder than he’d meant, and immediately froze and glanced up to Ian. The man glared down at him, and Ruben could have sworn he could see every awful thing Ian wanted to do to him in that moment. The thought made his blood run cold and he tried to pull away, only for Ian to tug him closer, holding him against his chest.

“Enough.” Ian snarled before looking up to the officer with a smile. “Sorry about him. I guess we gave him a little too much Valium. He gets so worked up when flying.”

Ruben stilled a moment and glanced helplessly between Ian and the officer who – thankfully – didn’t look like she was buying what Ian was saying. Ian was still talking, he could feel the vibrations against his back, but Ruben couldn’t actually make out what he was saying. The officer was talking now, and he could feel Ian’s grip around him tightening painfully.

He started to wiggle frantically, the movement catching Ian off guard. He managed to duck away from the man’s grasp and stumbled away, his eyes wide and breaths coming quick and panicked. Ian lunged after him, snarling something that sounded vaguely like a death threat before Ruben turned on his heels and bolted.

“You’re a dead man!” Ian’s voice called after him, and he glanced back only to see the office grab hold of Ian and hold him back, even as he thrashed and raged. Ruben continued running, sprinting right past the baggage claim. Within minutes he was outside of the airport, out of breath but unable to stop running. He only let himself relax when he was in a cab, heading away from the airport.

He constantly checked out the back window, his heart hammering wildly. He’d gotten away. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that he’d managed to get away. Though how long he could keep Ian away was up for debate. He bit his lower lip and leaned forward, clearing his throat to get the cab driver’s attention.

“I need you to take me as far away from Montego Bay as humanly possible.”


	2. Chapter 2

A person would think that after a year of constantly being on the move and looking over his shoulder, Ruben would have given up by now. But Ruben is anything but a quitter. Though looking back on the events that led up to him being stranded in Jamaica – constantly on the run from someone he wasn’t even sure was still hunting him – he probably should have considered quitting long ago. Quitting when Jason had first come to him with the preposition of making a drug that could knock him out.

“Should have sold Blackout when I had the chance.” Ruben muttered to himself, pacing the length of his tiny hotel room. It had been so long since he’d really stopped moving, whether it was pacing or zig-zagging across Jamaica in an attempt to avoid Ian. If he was even still on the island.

Ruben finally stopped his pacing and looked back to the bed, to the small bag of things that he’d managed to scavenge together so that he wasn’t completely possession-less. He’d never gone back to the airport, so whatever had been in his suitcase was long gone at this point. That didn’t matter now though. He leafed through a few papers before pulling out a small envelope, holding it up and taking a deep breath.

In any other circumstance, he would have loved to stay in Jamaica as long as possible, far from the lab and the stress of work. But there was now threat of Ian lurking around every corner, and to be completely honest Ruben would take working for three days straight in the lab over running into Ian again at any point. Besides, America had more places to run, more places to hide.

“Please don’t let me regret this…” He muttered, closing his small bag and tucking the airline ticket away safely in his pocket before flicking off the lights in the room and closing the door behind him.

***

He’d flown straight into Philly, and quickly made his way back to his mother’s house. During his little ‘trip’ he hadn’t once called back home, so when he arrived on her doorstep with nothing but a small backpack and an exhausted expression, his mother had nearly fainted thinking he was a ghost. But once she’d recovered, she’d welcomed her son home with a lot of crying and tutting over how much weight he’d lost. Any other time he would have huffed and brushed away her concern, but now? Now he was just happy to have a familiar face that wasn’t out for his blood.

He spent a month at home, never stepping foot outside of the building and jumping out of his skin every time the doorbell rang. Most of the time it was friends or boyfriends of Paola or Mercedes, but he couldn’t help his panic that every time the door opened, Ian would walk in as if he owned the place. And it wasn’t like his mother or sisters knew what Ian had done. Had been planning to do.

The longer he stayed at home, the more nervous he got that he was drawing attention to the family. He hadn’t told anyone else he was back, but he knew his family. His mother wouldn’t be able to contain her excitement that her son was home, and eventually one of his sisters was bound to complain to one of their friends about something he’s done. And the more people that found out that he was back, the more risk that Ian would find out he was there. If…if Ian was still a thing. He knew he’d left his notebook for Jason, but that didn’t mean that it worked. There was every chance that something could have gone wrong, and that the changes still happened…or worse.

So he started thinking about moving out. He still had some of the drug money from Oz, so it was really just a matter of figuring out where he was going to go. A lot of his time was spent researching different cities, looking at houses and apartments and condos. One night, while he sat with Paola and Mercedes watching a really bad romcom and chatting idly about anything and everything, he bought up the idea of moving.

“You just got back!”

“Mamá was so worried about you! You can’t just run off again without an explanation.”

And Ruben wants to stay. He wants nothing more than to stay at home with his mother’s cooking and his sister’s constant chatter. It was a comfort he’d gone over a year without, and now that he’d had it again it was going to be difficult to move on.

“I won’t go far. I was thinking New York. It’s far enough away from…everything, but close enough that visits aren’t too difficult. And at least this time you guys know where I am.” He huffed a weak laugh, but his expression was somber again. Paola and Mercedes exchanged a glance before huffing.

“You promise you’re going to tell us where you are?”

Ruben nodded, and immediately his sisters perked up. The chatter quickly turned to where he would move, when he would move, what sort of place he should get. Ruben indulged his sisters, but all he really wanted was a small apartment that he could call his own, that no one else knew about, and the he knew Ian would never find.

Even as his sisters started going on about décor – even though he knew they would probably never see it – his thoughts turned to what he was planning. He’d been on the move for so long, what was one more time?

***

“You promise you’ll call _mijo_?” Estefanía asked, cupping his cheeks with a lok of worry. The past few weeks had been an absolute blur. Paola and Mercedes had helped him find a place to stay until he could find himself a proper apartment, and he’d even managed to secure a job at a community college that was right off the subway lines. Easy enough to get to from everywhere. And then came the process of packing up his life to actually move. He’d only worked up the courage to tell his mother that he was leaving again three days before his flight.

“Yes Mamá, I promise. Once a week, at least.” He said, leaning forward to kiss her forehead before stepping back. “I’ll even call when I land this time.” He added with a faint smile, though there were tears in his eyes. His mother smiled warmly and nodded, already starting to plan when they would go visit him next. He didn’t even bother to remind her that he didn’t even have a place to call his own yet.

He climbed into the cab, staring out the window as the cab pulled back into traffic and started towards the airport. Thousands of thoughts were racing through his mind as the world went past in a blur. Was he overreacting? Possibly, he didn’t even know if Ian was still a thing…person? He shook his head and sighed heavily. What if this was a mistake? What if he was somehow playing right into Ian’s hand? That was impossible, Ian had no way of knowing he was moving to New York.

These thoughts continued even as he went through security, and well into the flight. They didn’t stop until he reached his hotel room and dropped into bed, exhausted from the stress and frantic planning from the past week. He could figure things out in the morning. Everything would work itself out in the end.

***

He’d been in New York for nearly eight months, and those eight months had been the strangest and most wonderful months of his live. At first things had been rough. He’d gotten lost countless times, and it took much longer to find an apartment than he’d anticipated, meaning he’d been stuck in a crappy hotel for a lot longer than he’d wanted. And then he’d found the perfect little apartment in a neighborhood that wasn’t too far from his workplace.

Moving from his hotel to Washington Heights had been strange, but he made it work. For the first while, he didn’t actually leave his new place unless it was to go to work, or if he was out of food. Even though he wasn’t in Philly, even though he knew he was being silly, he couldn’t help but feel that any time he turned a corner he would run into Ian or Jason, and the façade of his perfect life would crumble. But it didn’t. Instead of turning a corner and finding the person who would ruin his life, he turned a corner and found two of the most wonderful people who had absolutely no right to be so attractive, and so _perfect_.

His relationship with Usnavi and Vanessa was a strange one, if he was completely honest. It had started off with a close friendship between the three of them, brought on by the fact that everyone in the barrio kept mistaking him for Usnavi for the first month he was there. When he actually met the man, he couldn’t help but feel drawn to the man.

Usnavi was sunshine and coffee and light breezes rolled into a man in a red shirt and a hat. Vanessa was cinnamon and fire and music balanced on six-inch red heels. How he managed to befriend the two, never mind end up in a relationship with them was beyond him. Because Ruben was anxiety and panic and horrible flashbacks carefully bundled in an oversized sweater in the middle of July. But they didn’t care. They welcomed him into their relationship with open arms and tender kisses, and very slowly everything that had gone horribly wrong in his life started to fade.

For the first time in years, Ruben felt in control of his life. He decided when he worked and when he went out, who he helped and to what extent he helped. He knew he had people now who cared about him, who he could go to if something was wrong or if he just needed a hug after a crappy day. For the first time in years, he was completely and undeniably happy.

 


	3. Chapter 3

The bodega was a one of Ruben’s favourite places to frequent, and though he was adamant it was just for Usnavi’s coffee, it was also because he knew he was always safe there. For the first while, he couldn’t figure out why a little bodega in a not so great neighborhood felt so safe, but he soon came to realize that it wasn’t the building, but the people inside that made him feel safe.

He knew he could always count on Usnavi being there, and Vanessa always stopped by at least once or twice a day while she was still working at the salon. To his surprise, the two of them were willing to drop whatever they were doing if he needed their help. At first he always assured him that “No, no he was fine” (as long as he was actually able to speak at the moment), but slowly he came to realize that they weren’t going to expect anything from him if they did help. Slowly he came to realize that they weren’t like Jason or Ian, that they liked him for a hell of a lot more than just his mind (though Usnavi was adamant that was one of his favourite parts).

He found himself coming down to the bodega whenever he had free time, and he wasn’t already with Usnavi or Vanessa at any of their apartments. Not because he needed anything (though free coffee and a hug was always appreciated), but because it was somewhere outside of his apartment that he knew he was safe in, no matter what.

And that’s where he found himself on a Friday night, leaning against the counter and watching Usnavi and Vanessa dance around to some old song that was playing on the crappy old radio behind the counter. The sound was just loud enough to be heard throughout the whole bodega, and it was just the three of them there. Usnavi and Vanessa moved effortlessly, and while Usnavi was a little more awkward in his movements, Vanessa made up for it with her fluidity and confidence. He would never join them, but it was enough to just watch the two of them dip and sway around the bodega.

Usnavi paused after a while, panting slightly and pressing a kiss to Vanessa’s cheek before looking around. The two murmured together a moment before making their way back to the counter, each taking their place at Ruben’s sides and leaning in to watch him intently.

“Can I help you two?” He asked with a small smile, glancing first at one and then turning his attention to the other.

“I don’t know, can you?” Usnavi purred, wrapping an arm around Ruben’s middle and pressing a loud kiss to his cheek. Ruben snorted despite himself and had to put his coffee down, if only to playfully shove Usnavi away.

“You’re ridiculous.” He muttered, struggling not to smile even as he felt Vanessa creeping up behind him and snaking her arms around his chest, nuzzling into his neck with a grin.

“Okay, seriously what’s gotten into the two of you?” He asked, swatting at the arms that seemed to keep coming from nowhere.

“It’s the music, it’s done something to us.” Usnavi shrugged innocently, taking Ruben’s hands and swinging them idly. Ruben rolled his eyes and huffed faintly, eventually relenting and swaying slightly along with Usnavi. He wasn’t any sort of dancer, but seeing his boyfriend’s eyes light up made the attempt more than worth it.

“Usnavi, didn’t you have some of that really nice Mexican coke somewhere?”

“Uh yeah, it should be in the fridges?”

“Nope, nothing.”

“Crap…Sonny was supposed to restock everything this morning.” Usnavi groaned, shooting Ruben an apologetic glance before following where Vanessa had gone and looking at the empty fridges. They were gone for a few minutes before Usnavi’s voice drifted up over the shelves.

“Hey Ruben, Vanessa’s going to help me bring up some boxes from downstairs. You okay to watch the store a couple minutes?”

“Yeah sure, take your time.” Ruben answered with a smile and leaned against the counter, watching Vanessa and Usnavi duck into the back room and then hurry down the stairs. He sighed heavily and circled around the counter, making himself a fresh coffee before leaning back and simply looking over the empty bodega. It wasn’t the first time he’d watched the store while Usnavi stepped out, and he knew the basics of how to run the place.

So when a creak signaled the door opening, he didn’t even glance up from his book, instead calling out a light ‘evening’.  He only glanced up when a shadow fell over him, and he sighed gently and looked up. The moment his eyes landed on the figure before him, his blood ran cold and the paper cup slipped from his fingers, hitting the ground and splashing up his pant legs.

“Well hey there Rubes, someone told me I might find you here.”

Ian.

The world seemed to slow to a halt as Ruben looked up, his eyes widening as he stared at Ian. This wouldn't have been the first time the man had appeared to him as a ghost, and even as Ian began to move closer and closer, speaking words that weren't quite reaching Ruben's ears, he stayed exactly where he was and instead decided to focus his attention on cleaning up the coffee that had splashed all over the floor.

"Oh, so you're ignoring me now? Honestly, I thought you had some manners, Ruben." Ian now stood on the other side of the counter, leaning over it with a smirk.

Ruben continued to remain silent, reminding himself that Ian wasn't actually there and that this would all stop soon. These thoughts continued to race through his mind until he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. And it wasn't Usnavi or Vanessa coming to shake him from another flashback. No, this time it most definitely was Ian, smiling down at him with that all too familiar sickly sweet smile.

Immediately Ruben recoiled, slipping on the wet floor and crashing hard on his backside. He continued to shuffle back until his back hit the wall behind him and he realized a moment too late that he was cornered. There was no way he’d be able to vault the counter, not with Ian in the way, and he couldn’t seem to find his voice to call out for help.

Ian watched him with a tilted head before sighing heavily and squatting down to Ruben’s level, resting his elbows on his knees and tilting his head slightly as he watched Ruben continue to try and squeeze himself farther into the corner.

“Those doe- eyes aren’t going to work anymore and you know it.” He said finally, rolling his eyes with a faint huff. Ruben stilled and swallowed thickly, lowering his gaze and hugging his knees to his chest. Ian didn’t seemed armed but he’d managed to do some damage with just his bare hands before.

"Look, Ruben I don't want to hurt you. I need your help again." With those four words Ruben felt his heart skip a beat. 'Need your help', those three words had been what had led to this whole mess, had led to the torture and the torment and the year spent in Jamaica constantly looking over his shoulder, being unable to relax. The first time it had been Jason, but in the years that had followed Ruben had realized that Ian and Jason really weren't all that different. They both wanted the same thing, and would stop at nothing to get it, no matter how many other people they hurt in the process.

"Why...why should I help you?" He finally managed to sputter out, lifting his gaze hesitantly to watch as Ian smiled. It looked like it was a genuine smile, and for a moment Ruben thought back to the night at the club, were he had realized that maybe Ian wasn't such a horrible person (oh who was he kidding, the man was evil incarnate).

"Why should you help me?" Ian repeated before laughing, shaking his head. "Because, Ruben. That's what you do. You help people, especially scientific marvels." He purred, leaning in so close that Ruben could smell his aftershave, and the smell made bile rise in his throat. He quickly turned away and let out a shuddering breath, wrinkling his nose and trying to hide in his arms.

"Come on Ruben, your little miracle cure that you sent Jason didn't work. And I should know...I tried it." Ian continued, pushing himself to his feet and pulling out a worn, leather bound journal and holding it up. "And honestly Ruben, I'm a little disappointed. You seemed like such a smart guy, this should have worked."

"It...It should have." Ruben said, hesitantly peeking up once again and awkwardly holding out his hand for the journal. Ian hesitated a moment before offering it out, watching Ruben closely as he took it and read over what he had written all those months ago. His index finger traced over his notes and diagrams, brow furrowed in confusion.

Page by page he flipped through the journal, skimming over the parts he knew for a fact wouldn't have had any impact on the outcome. He bit his lip before reaching into his pocket and drawing out a pen, scribbling a few notes before holding the journal back out to Ian.

"There it...it should work now." He muttered, flinching as Ian snatched the journal away and read over the new additions before tucking it back into his jacket pocket.

"Thanks Rubes," he said as he straightened up, stretching his arms up over his head before offering out his hand to Ruben. And against his better judgement, Ruben took it. _What could go wrong_ , he thought, he’d done everything Ian had wanted.

"One more thing."

Ruben tilted his head at Ian’s voice, frowning in confusion up at the man. One more thing? What else could he want?

"You need to come with me. Nothing personal, I just want to make sure you've gotten it right this time." Ian continued without actually looking at Ruben’s face, instead making a grab for him once he was on his feet.

Without thinking Ruben made to vault over the counter, crashing hard to the ground as Ian grabbed at the collar of his shirt. He scrambled back, trying to push himself to his feet and to put as much distance between him and Ian as physically possible. There was nothing easy about that. Nothing had changed with how fit Ian was, and within seconds he had managed to grab hold of Ruben's wrist and yanked him close, one arm wrapped around his neck and the other fumbling to keep hold of his arms.

Ruben continued to twist and thrash, frantic to escape Ian's grip. Even as he was hoisted up off the ground, he kicked out and flinched as one foot connected with the edge of a metal wire rack sitting on the other side of the counter. The frame crashed to the ground, sending packs of cookies and other various treats to the ground. Both Ian and Ruben froze for a moment before Ian tightened his arm around Ruben's neck and snarled.

"Oh that's it you little shi-"

"Yo Ruben, you good?" Usnavi’s voice called from the backroom, startling both Ruben and Ian. The pair froze, Ian's grip around Ruben's neck so tight that it was now impossible for him to breathe, never mind respond. Usnavi and Vanessa bounded up the stairs, each carrying a box in their arms as they stepped back onto the main floor of the bodega. The four of them stared at each other before Usnavi's voice shattered the silence.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded, his tone a little higher pitched than usual. Ian stood completely still, looking between Ruben - who was slowly losing his fight and beginning to sag in his arms - and Usnavi who had stepped into the backroom and picked up Sonny's baseball bat, hoisting it up and glaring. Ian loosened his grip on Ruben's neck and immediately the man tore away, very nearly crashing into Vanessa. She quickly wrapped her arms around his trembling figure and murmured gently into his ear, taking a step away to try and put as much distance between Ruben and Ian.

"Just an old friend of Ruben's. We were just playing, weren't we Rubes?" His question was met with a faint whimper and he rolled his eyes. "Look, he owes me a favor. I'm just calling it in." He said with a small, indifferent shrug.

"Calling it in by strangling him? The hell is wrong with you man?" Usnavi asked, taking a step closer and lifting the bat again. Ian raised his hands and laughed warmly, trying to defuse this situation as he had so many others.

"Look, I just need to borrow him for a little bit. I'll bring him back, promise." He said, pausing a brief moment before stepping closer, hands still up to show he meant no harm. Before he got too close, Vanessa slid in front of him, hands on her hips and a murderous gleam in her eyes.

“Ah ah…take a step back there.” She said narrowing her eyes as Ian stared down at her and laughed.

“Seriously? Sweet heart, I just need to talk to Ruben, I-“ Ian was cut off as Vanessa stepped forward and drove her knee into his crotch, bright red manicured nails digging into his shoulders as he doubled over.

“Two things _sweet heart_ ,” she purred. “One, only my boys are allowed to call me sweet heart. Two, if Ruben doesn’t want to talk to you, Ruben is _not_ talking to you.” She said before pushing Ian back and crossing her arms over her chest.

Ruben stood silently off to the side, his arms wrapped tightly around himself as he watched Vanessa and Usnavi inch closer and closer to Ian. He wanted to tell them to get away from him, to run and to not look back. It was one thing that he’d been put through hell because of Ian, it was another if Usnavi and Vanessa were about to do the same thing. Especially if they were doing it for him.

“Look, we’re giving you one last chance to get the hell out of here man.” Usnavi said, using the bat to point to the door. Ian lifted his gaze and snarled, grabbing the end of the bat and yanking it, dragging Usnavi in close and balling one fist in the fabric of his shirt.

“You want to say that again?” He asked, mere inches from Usnavi’s face. The man paled slightly but did not back down, struggling to pull the bat from Ian’s grip.

“I said, get the hell out of here.” Usnavi replied, glaring up at Ian as he gave another tug at the bat. He’d dealt with groups of thugs with guns and knives, no way was he scared of some pompous blond asshole. Ian seemed taken aback, loosening his grip on the bat long enough for Usnavi to regain control of it, hoisting it up and getting ready to swing.

Ian took a step back, narrowly avoiding Usnavi’s first swing with the bat. Ruben immediately rushed off to the other end of the bodega, desperate to put as much distance between him and Ian as possible without actually losing sight of the man. Ian made to move after him, completely forgetting for a moment about the two others that were in the building.

He made it two steps after Ruben before Usnavi swung the bat again and caught him in the middle, sending him staggering back with a surprised grunt. Usnavi pressed forward, taking another swing that just brushed past Ian’s head. Ian jerked back a step, breathing heavily and glancing between Usnavi and Vanessa who were still advancing on him. He snarled softly and glanced up to Ruben, who had pressed himself against a shelf with his arms wrapped around himself, eyes blown wide.

“You owe me Marcado. You owe me _big time_.” Ian said, slowly backing up towards the door. When Ruben didn't respond, Ian turned on his heels and pushed out the door, bolting away from the bodega. Vanessa followed only a few steps, her phone already pressed to her ear. Ruben stared at her frame through the glass door before slowly sinking to his knees, vaguely aware of the bat clattering to the ground and Usnavi's arms wrapping carefully around him.

Vanessa pushed her way back into the bodega a moment later, sighing heavily and brushing a hand through her hair.

"The cops should be here soon. If there's one thing they'll rush to out here, it's a white man having a heart attack and an attempted kidnapping on a professor." She muttered, settling down beside Ruben and gently taking his hand. "You doing okay?"

Ruben only shook his head, unable to find the words he was looking for. Vanessa tutted softly and shook her head, exchanging a worried glance with Usnavi as the bodega settled into silence, only broken by the crackling of the radio.

When the police arrived, one officer carefully pulled each of them aside to get there statement while another followed Usnavi into the back to check the camera footage. The whole thing went by in a blur, and before long the trio were left along again, the officer's car pulling away.

"So now we wait." Vanessa sighed, hands on her hips as she watched Usnavi go lock the front door.

"Yeah, now we wait."

***

They didn't have to wait long. Within two weeks, they were contacted. The woman told them that Ian had been found hiding out in a hotel only a 15 minute walk from the bodega. The very thought of him being so close for god only knew how long was terrifying to Ruben, and the very thought of it made him unable to leave his bed for a few days. Finally, with some prompting from Usnavi and Vanessa he was ready to go out and face the world. Or at least go down to the precinct long enough to ID Ian before hurrying back to the safety of their shared apartment.

After changing back into pajamas, Ruben found himself sandwiched between Usnavi and Vanessa on his ratty old couch while crappy day time television played in the background.

"You doing okay? You've been really quiet." Usnavi asked, glancing up from where his head had been resting against Ruben's shoulder.

"I'm....managing." Ruben admitted slowly, forcing a weak smile to try and reassure the other two that he was, in fact, fine. They both saw through it almost immediately and pressed in closer, effectively pinning him between them. And instead of feeling trapped or suffocated, he felt safer than he had in months.

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much. The cameras caught the whole thing. There's no way in hell he's walking out of there." Vanessa said, pressing a gentle kiss to Ruben's cheek. He laughed weakly and nodded, though couldn't help the shudder that raced down his spine at the memory of Ian on the other side of the double-sided mirror.

“Yeah I…I guess so.” Ruben shrugged, settling in closer and letting out a shaky breath.

“Besides, even if he did by some miracle of Satan get out, I don’t think he’d be coming back around. You see the look in his eyes when Usnavi grabbed the bat?”

Ruben huffed a weak laugh, snorting in amusement as Usnavi puffed his chest out proudly. “No one messes with the de la Vega bodega! Or…anyone in it!” He said, grinning widely as Ruben laughed, clapping a hand over his mouth to muffle the sound.

As Usnavi and Vanessa’s attention settled back onto the television set and whatever mediocre show was on, Ruben was left with his thoughts. Ian finding him had been his worst nightmare come to life, but he was handling it better than he ever thought he could. And it was all thanks to the two other people currently squished onto the too small couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...that took a lot longer than it was supposed to take (mind you it also wasn't meant to be three parts). Either way, thanks to everyone for reading! And happy really...REALLY belated birthday to Sophia!

**Author's Note:**

> This is a birthday fic for @thisstableground because I promised her I'd be nice to Ruben for once and include our...wonderful little crossover ot3 (who are appearing in the next chapter)


End file.
